Monday, May 26, 2014

Memorial Day Edition

 Today is Memorial Day but it seems to have also become Barbecue Day in the US.  I must admit, BBQ is the best way to celebrate many of these kind of days/events but I hope no one loses sight of that the day actually means, the ability to BBQ in privacy and freedom and hopefully get what you want when you BBQ. Many often lose sight of why we observe this day and the meaning behind.  This day is for mostly the fallen who sacrificed their lives in service of our country.  Veteran's Day and 4th of July are very different but also the same in that we pay homage to those who served.  I just hope not too many lose sight of this and give some kind of thanks whether it be public or private but simply acknowledge it.

 Weekly Update:
Everything is a little late this week simply due to two things 1) the Holiday day and 2) waiting for final numbers for the box office for the next section.  Have to wait to get more accurate information.  I had some preliminary numbers early Sunday but the difference could be pretty substantial, wanted to wait at least a little bit and figure as long as it gets out on Monday at some point, it is all good.  But aside from that, the week was pretty quiet again and ... also boring.  I need to get some work going again or I will drive myself a little nutty nutty!

 At the movies:
No surprise at the box office as X-Men: Days of Future Past takes the crown with a hefty holiday weekend gross of 110.6 million!  Word-of-mouth is good on the film so should easily climb to a potential 250 mil cume.  Big drop to #2 is "Godzilla" with another 38.4 mil as it reaches 150 mil cume.  New at #3 is the comedy Blended with 17.7 mil for the Memorial Day weekend, below expectations.  Holding ground at #4 is "Neighbors" with another 17.1 mil as it passes the 100 mil mark.  Rounding off the top 5 is "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" earning another 10 mil as it slowly climbs to try and reach the 200 mil cume mark but just may fall short.

 Quote of the week:
"Never was so much owed by so many to so few." - Winston Churchill

 Facts & Tips:
A day on Venus lasts longer than a year on Venus.

 "This place is too important to us! Gordon, where do you go when your wife changes the locks?" - Justin Long as Justin in "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

posted by McDuck @ 12:54 0 comments

Monday, May 19, 2014

Hot and Cold ... make up your mind?

 This week we saw two very extreme levels of weather.  Earlier in the week to mid-week was extremely hot with at least two days above 100 degrees.  That is just simply insane for being mid-Spring right now.  Thank goodness the nights were cool, however it didn't get dark till almost 8:30PM!!  Then finally on Saturday, the heat broke, still warm during the day but not crazy hot!  The nights continue to be cooler night to maybe even cold but still.  It does look like next week will remain cooler but I am worried about the coming Summer.  First we have a very warm Winter, almost Summer like, now we have Spring days that are Summer, what is Summer going to be and feel like??

 Weekly Update:
This past week was pretty quiet in general for me ... getting to be too quiet lately that it is sooooo boring.  I need to find some regular work soon or I will be going crazy not to mention having some flowing income is always nice.  Seems like an unusual dry spell though ... at times there are too many projects and now, so little.  Really is one of those "Feast or Famine" kind of things.  But during the middle of the week I was on set (which is always fun) for a newly formatted show called FX on Demand.  I think it use to be called FX DVD on Demand but they changed the entire format, hosts and look ... it was pretty impressive!  The hosts were very nice, the crew were awesome, it was just a cool place and vibe altogether.  I can't say what movie I was for or what they were taping but it will be fun and should be out early June.  Hope I get to visit the set again, was just cool.  That was about it for my week ... see, boring and too quiet!

 At the movies:
The roar across the box office is heard as yet another remake of Godzilla hits theatres this past weekend with a huge 93.2 million!  Way above all expectations but word-of-mouth on this film is very luke-warm.  Decent hold on to #2 is "Neighbors" with another 26 mil as it sneaks up on the 100 mil cume mark and should it in a few days.  Steady drop to #3 is "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" with another 16.8 mil as it struggles to reach 200 mil cume.  New at #4 is Million Dollar Arm with a debut of 10.5 mil and no real word-of-mouth on this film either way.  Rounding off the top 5 is "The Other Woman" with an extra 6.3 mil as it will fall short of 100 mil cum.

 Quote of the week:
"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now." - Shane Snow

 Facts & Tips:
The human jaw can generate a force up to 200 pounds on the molars.

 "Oh, well, I wouldn't worry about Pip. He is very brave. I remember this one time, when the poor wolf was being chased by Little Red Riding Hood around his grandmother's house, and she had an axe... oh, and if Pip hadn't been walking by to help I don't know what would've happened!" - Amy Adams as Giselle in "Enchanted."

posted by McDuck @ 03:46 0 comments

Monday, May 12, 2014

A little warm, a little cold but still very windy.  Not sure what is going on lately (but that is normal now these days) on the weather.  Usually when we get wind, it lasts maybe 2 to 3 days, 4 tops but it has lasted for almost 2 weeks.  Now the winds haven't been crazy but still extra breezy for some reason and at a regular pace.  The nights have been chill but the days warm but with the winds it has been cooler, just not cool enough.  Hard to keep a door open without it blowing closed to keep the draft going.  But at least the winds haven't been unmanageable with leaves and branches every where and stuff knocked over ... just very odd weather this past couple of years and the climate has changed so much.  I have no idea who's dog that is in the picture I selected, found it on the internet and thought it was both funny and cute to deliver my point on the weather.

 Weekly Update:
So earlier this week I visited one of my new favorite spots to chill out at ... Twin Galaxies, the Lounge.  This use to be called 1337LoungeLive but they have changed their format to what is called Twin Galaxies ... it doesn't quiet roll off the tongue but I guess they needed a new look and name, not sure if it is working or if enough research went into this.  Everything is kind of the same for the most part, just the shows they have during the day are gone.  Some other shows they kept are still kind of boring like The Comic Book Show.  It isn't that great due to the mix of guys they have.  Just because they are nerdy and read comics, doesn't mean they are great on camera and entertaining enough.  But I was there mid-week and got to hang out with ...

 *Billy Campbell - Best known as "The Rocketeer" with the film of the same name and a VERY cool guy!

 Spent two hours just hanging out with him and hearing some awesome stories.  He is very laid back and just fun.  I saw "The Rocketeer" at the movie theatre and thought it was amazing and mesmerizing seeing a man fly with just a jet pack and wished I had one too.

 At the movies:
HUGE upset at the box office this week as Neighbors not only beats Spider-Man in its 2nd week but doubled its predicted gross of 51.1 million!  Usually one R-rated comedy breaks the bank each summer, is this the one?  Slinging down to #2 is "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" with a hefty gross drop earning an extra 37.2 mil.  It was more than enough for it to break 100 mil cume but now the question is will it get to 200 in the end domestically?  At #3 is "The Other Woman" with a small drop earning 9.3 mil more.  Slow drop to #4 is "Heaven is For Real" with 7 mil extra, still a good showing during the weekdays.  Rounding off the top 5 is "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" as this will likely be its last showing in the top 5 (but after 6 weeks!) and earning 5.6 mil as it creeps its way to 250 mil cume, should hit it by end of the week.

New movies that did not make the top 5:
Two this week as Mom's Night Out comes in at #7 earning only 4 mil.  It could get a little bump during the week but nothing to celebrate about.  In at #8 is Legend of Oz: Dorothy's Return earning only 3.7 mil and will probably cap out soon.

Quote of the week:
"It's not always easy to push yourself, and that's why they invented mothers." - Richard St. John

Facts & Tips:
Most rechargeable batteries can be recharged up to 1,000 times.

"Well, that's funny. 'Cause I got nowhere to be because you pretty much destroyed my career. Do you realize what it did to me, by making myself call me "Jack Lame"?" - James Marsden as Jack Lime in "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues."

posted by McDuck @ 03:05 0 comments

Monday, May 05, 2014

HOT!!  I know we never had a Winter season in Southern California but I guess we are skipping Spring as well and going straight to Summer-Time!  It was SO hot this past week, at least 2 to 3 days in the 100 degree plus range but the evenings were very cool.  The heat finally broke on Sunday but it was just too much and especially since last week we had nice cool weather with rain ... what is going on here!  The coming week doesn't look like it will be as crazy hot but will still be warm towards the last half.  I just don't know what is going on anymore with this weather and what it means for this summer ... I don't want to think about that!

 Weekly Update:
The week in general was pretty slow and boring for me, didn't do much and just basically tried to stay cool the entire time but to much failure in that area.  Just so hot and all you want to do is do nothing and hope it cools you down but it doesn't, really miserable actually.  But Saturday was pretty crazy, it was national Free Comic Book Day!  So helping out my local comic book store and it was just crazy but good at the same time.  I miss the rush of people from the days of working at the movie theatre.  Free comics, lots of stuff on sale and I was able to get my friend to bring his real life-sized working R2-D2 and Wall*E units for an hour to entertain kids and adults.  I got to control R2-D2 during the time he was there while the guy who built them ran Wall*E, it was pretty cool.  I didn't know all the cool features of R2 till at the end but I moved his head a bunch of times and played with his speech button.  Everyone loved it, took pictures with both of them and just had a great time during the event.  But it was also such a long day ... slept most of Sunday to recover!

 At the movies:
Our trusty web-slinger The Amazing Spider-Man 2 takes the box office with a hefty 92.0 million for is debut however did not break opening as the previous Marvel superhero did last month.  Word-of-mouth is below average on this film, could suffer a deeper drop off next week.  Holding ground at #2 is "The Other Woman" with another 14.2 mil and will probably cap out below 100 mil.  Gradually drop at #3 is "Heaven is For Real" with 8.7 more.  Defending the #4 spot is "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" with another 7.8 mil and should end up around 250 mil when it is done.  Rounding off the top 5 is "Rio 2" with 7.6 mil extra as it just passes the 100 mil mark!

Quote of the week:
"All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl." - Jean-Luc Goddard

Facts & Tips:
The first TV show ever to be put into reruns was "The Lone Ranger."

"Why don't you go back to Chino? I'm sure there are a bunch of really nice cars in the parking lot that you could steal." - Adam Brody as Seth Cohen in the TV series "The O.C."

posted by McDuck @ 02:30 0 comments